Development of a Harvester for Cable Logging

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In Japan, seventy per cent of the forest area has a slope of more than 15 in gradient. Consequently, cable logging systems are frequently used. There are about 120 different cable logging systems that have been adopted and 30 of them are suitable for selective cutting, partial cutting, clear cutting, and thinning operations. For these operations, the chokerman has to carry a choker hook that is attached to the end of a main line as he moves about the logging site. In Particular, the chokerman is faced with dangerous and hard labor in steep mountainous areas.The authors developed a harvester for cable logging to release the chokerman from this dangerous and hard labor. This harvester is composed of a radio control carriage and a tree harvesting head. These machines were matched and then tested both in operational and practical applications. As a result, future improvements must be made regarding several points of its felling operation.It was clear that some time is necessary until the new machine is put into practical use, but the machine appears to show much promise for future practical use.